Switching Places
by KMSymphonyOfSilence
Summary: After knocking Lucas and co. off of the airship, something is triggered in the masked man's mind making him remember his past as Claus. In order to escape the Pigmask army, he has to switch places with his twin! Will this dynamic brother duo be able to pull off their grand plan? Or will they be caught in the heat? AU. Takes places during Chapters 7 and 8 of Mother 3.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, I've had this written for quite some time now, but I wasn't really sure about the idea. I guess that's what I'm about to find out! I planned to have all of this prewritten, but I'm such a procrastinator that it was never going to happen. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

Chapter 1- Awakening

The masked man could not rest. Not that the chimera actually needed any sleep. Encountering the group opposing his leader's empire actually made him think. He couldn't help it. Seeing the blonde boy of the group triggered something in his mind. Also, the dog, which he thought was a strange choice for a party member. Maybe they were a part of his past. The commander stopped his thoughts, scoffing at that idea. _'That's ridiculous. I was _made_ to serve King P. Why would I have a past?'_

"Commander!" A pigmask burst into the room, with news for the commander. The masked man tried to show how annoyed he was, but how could he? He didn't have much emotion to express.

"What is it? What do you want?" The masked man responded angrily. The pigmask cowered in fear of his superior's anger. It was clear that the masked man was not one you would want to cross. Although you could never tell what he was thinking, you could see his glaring eyes clearly.

The pigmask quickly stood up and gave a salute of respect. "Sir! The ship needs to stop and charge overnight, sir! We'll be stopping near Tazmily Village. You should stop in to check on the residents, sir!" The pigmask was shaking in his boots, afraid that the commander would think the suggestion was a gesture of disrespect. He was just trying to earn a promotion by offering suggestions to make things run more smoothly. Unfortunately, things did not go as he thought.

But the commander's expression did not change. He simply said, "I'll see to it later. Now get out of my room you incompetent fool." He spat on the ground near the pigmask and watched his subordinate rush out of the room in fear. He heard an audible thump indicating that the pigmask passed out as soon as he left the room. He sighed at his subordinate's idiocy. _'He's in no place to be making suggestions. Small fry should learn their place.' _He paused, also directing his thoughts towards the blonde boy.

The masked man clenched his fist in frustration. '_Why does that boy make me think so much? He looks so… familiar.' _With that final thought the masked man drove his fist into the wall, denting the metal. He lay back on his bed, as a second attempt of sleep. _'No past for me. Remembering a nonexistent past is a waste of precious time, energy, and effort. All things needed for the greater good of King P's future.' _The chimera closed his eyes and drifted off into a state of sleep.

* * *

"_-!"_

The masked man thought he heard a voice from the far corner of his mind. Of course as this was his dream, he deemed it as non-existent and brushed it off.

"_C—u-!" _

Again he heard the voice, and again he dismissed it.

"_-l—s!"_

Now it was undeniable that there was a voice, and it was calling for someone. The masked man couldn't help but wonder who.

"_C-au-!"_

The voice and name were starting to sound familiar. It could no longer go ignored.

"_Claus!" _

Then… masked man remembered. Remembered his past. Why he was there, who he had hurt from leaving. All his memories rushing back to him. Visiting his grandfather, ramming dragos, but most of all his family. His mind cleared instantly. "My… name. My name is… Claus?"

There was a woman in a red dress. She turned around slowly to look at Claus. "Claus, my son. Have you awakened?"

Claus turned around with his eyes widened, truly wondering what was happening. _'This is unbelievable.' _ He remembered seeing her death. A drago's fang driving straight through her heart. _I went to avenge her, didn't I?' _He saw himself three years ago holding his father's homemade knife. He was heading off towards the mountains._ "Don't follow me, Lucas."_ He said.

"M-mother? I'm… sorry." Tears began to stream out of Claus's eyes. Hinawa held her arms wide open and embraced her son.

"Don't cry, Claus. You are not to blame."

"B-but I left them. D-dad and Lucas. I *sniff* was too selfish." His voice trembled as he spoke to his mother. "Everything I left behind. Everything!" Still his mother kept her tight embrace. "What should I do?" He whimpered.

Hinawa pulled back just to look at her son's face. She ran her fingers across Claus' cheeks to wipe away the tears. "Go to Tazmily, Claus. After you knocked your brother off of the airship, he was separated from his friends. Go now, if you truly wish to apologize." After that, everything started to fade away. Hinawa was vanishing. And Claus had to watch as she disappeared from him once again.

* * *

"No, Mom! Don't leave!" He reached out to his mother, only to wake in the bed of the commander. Claus touched his face realizing that he was sweating. He glanced at the foot of his bed, seeing a fresh commander's uniform. He picked up his helmet and wondered, _'What do I do now?' _

Claus began to work the gears in mind, trying to formulate a plan to meet up with his brother. _'Disguise is important because I can't let the army know that I'm a traitor. They can't find out that my heart has changed to light. But that means as soon as I see Lucas, I'll have to go back.' _ Claus then realized something. Something… _very_ important. _'It doesn't have to be _me _that returns. I can switch places with Lucas! All the other pigmasks were dumb enough to fall for it the first time. I just need to teach Lucas how to be threatening. That way, the army will never find out! Lucas isn't fused with machinery, so they can't program him to be evil. But as long as _I _stay as commander, I have the risk of turning back.' _

Claus quickly tossed on his clothes and placed his helmet on his head. He grabbed an extra set of clothes for Lucas to use and then he was ready to leave. Or so he thought. "All right! Let's go." Claus said to himself satisfied with his plan. All of a sudden, the pigmask from earlier burst into the room.

"Sir! Are you prepared for your departure to Tazmily? Is there anything I can get you, sir?" The pigmask was still fearful of Claus, or to him, the commander.

"Ah, yes." Claus started unsure of how to act now that he was in control of his consciousness. Being a harsh, cruel commander was not in his previous nature. "Can you get me a bottle of blonde hair dye please?"

The pigmask was obviously _very _confused. To him, it seemed as if the commander had gone mad! The commander, going out of his way to be polite! "Are you feeling okay, sir?"

'_Oh shoot!' _Claus thought realizing his slip up. Attempting to add the tone of harshness to his voice, he began to yell at the pigmask again. "Yes, I am fine. Just get me the bottle of hair dye! I'm visiting someone in Tazmilly who will need it, so go get it now!"

"Yes sir!" The pigmask squeaked before rushing out of the room to fulfill Claus' request.

'_I kinda feel bad for the guy.' _Claus thought. _'I'm going to regret this.' _He sighed. He pulled out a pen and a piece of paper from his desk. '_The least I could do for scaring him earlier.'_ Claus wrote a short promotion letter for the pigmask. "Not exactly heart and soul, but it's not _that_ important." Claus murmured before folding the letter closed.

The pigmask returned with the bottle of hair dye. "Here you go, sir! Top Brand."He quickly placed the bottle on Claus' desk before scrambling for the door.

"Wait!" Claus exclaimed as he grabbed the back of the pigmask's uniform. "I must thank you for this." The boy felt like slapping himself for how stupid he sounded. "Here, give this to one of your squad leaders to receive your new uniform." Claus handed over the folded letter to the pigmask. "I shall take my leave now." He stated exiting his room and walking towards the exit of the airship.

"Okay!" Claus started to observe his surroundings, recognizing familiar paths now covered in pavement. "So, the house should be that way." He said turning south of where the airship was. "I don't think anyone will see me there, so that's where I'll start looking for Lucas." Claus started to run towards his destination, as the start of his new adventure.

* * *

"Where is the commander?" A pigmask colonel screamed in frustration.

"He went out to Tazmily, sir." The new pigmask captain replied calmly.

The colonel turned to his subordinate in anger. "What do you mean? We need him here right now for our departure to Oshoe Castle!"

"H-he said he was visiting someone, s-sir!" The pigmask captain started to tremble as he did earlier. But now this time he was afraid of the colonel.

The colonel started to calm down, realizing that the disappearance of the commander was simply on his own whim. "There is nothing we can do but wait for him to return. Hopefully, that will be soon."

* * *

"GAHHHHHHHHH!" A scream could be heard from above as the boy and his dog made their quick descent from the sky through a freefall. Luckily, said fall was cushioned by a large pile of hay. "Whew! That was close!" exclaimed the boy in relief. He ran his fingers through his blonde cowlick and dusted off his yellow and red striped shirt. "Are you okay, Boney?" He asked his brown furred dog.

"Arf (Yes)!" The dog barked in reply. The boy sighed in relief. Knowing that the impact of the fall would have killed them if they landed anywhere else besides the water wasn't very assuring to the young boy. He was glad that both he and his dog were alright.

"Oh, Lucas! You're safe. I see that my dream was correct." It was Lucas' grandfather Alec, still clad in his same attire from three years ago. Wess, Duster's father, was standing next to him also looking quite relieved.

"What do you mean? What dream?" the confused Lucas asked.

"I had a dream where Hinawa told me to pile hay in that spot. Thank goodness you're alright. Say Lucas, was Duster with you?"

"Um, yeah. But I got separated from both him and Kumatora. Boney's with me though," Lucas replied.

"Hmmm, I see." Wess nodded.

"I'm going to go home first to get some new clothes, then I'll look for Kumatora and Duster. You don't need to worry." Lucas cheerfully said, because that's exactly how he felt about his other two friends. "I know they're strong, so I'll find them and they'll be okay!" Lucas started to run off towards his house turning back to smile and wave at Alec and Wess. But before he could at least make it back to the village, he was stopped at the bridge by a small crowd.

"What in the world? Excuse me. Please let me through." Lucas pushed his way to the front of the crowd only to see... Ionia the Magypsy?

"Mmmmmph! Mmmph! ... Oh! I undid the gag all on my own! Huh?" The Magypsy responded in response to seeing the blonde boy. "I hate to be a bother but, could you please stand me up?"

"Um, sure." Lucas helped the struggling Magypsy into a standing position.

"Thank you darling! I don't know what happened. I was just minding my own business, taking off my makeup. When suddenly, I was physically assaulted! What an un-fabulous time to be attacked! Oh my! You're that boy I met at the hot springs the other day, aren't you? Lucas, was it?"

"Yes, that is my name." Lucas responded, nodding his head slightly.

"From the moment I realized you could use PSI, I knew there was something special about you. You're undoubtedly the one that we Magypsies have been waiting for. Can't you feel it too? We've been waiting for tens and thousands of years. I knew you were the chosen one because you were able to learn PK Love."

"I'm not really sure what you're talking about." Replied Lucas sheepishly. He rubbed the back of his head in an apologetic manner. Of course Lucas knew that _something_ was happening. He wasn't that stupid. But the strange events occurring troubled the boy. Most of that fear coming from not knowing the purpose of these events.

"It's okay that you can't feel it. The 'time' is drawing near. But I'm not too sure about it myself." Suddenly, the look in Ionia's eyes changed. "Wait a second… If I was attacked, could it mean… I hope Aeolia is alright. Lucas, will you come with me to her house to check on her?"

"Okay. But I have to go pick up something from my house." Lucas replied, remembering his original objective.

"Oh, is that so? Well then, I'll just have to go with you then!" The three started off towards Lucas' house, Ionia, still tied up, awkwardly hopping behind.

"So, I guess your house is down that way. It's out of the way of everyone else's houses though," said Ionia.

Lucas started to explain "Well, it's got a nice view. It's near the ocean. We also have sheep, so we have to have more open space."

Upon arriving at said destination, Ionia's reaction was quite positive. "My, what a lovely place! Say Lucas, who's that over there?" The Magypsy jerked his head towards a lone figure standing on the slope leading up to Lucas' house. He had a helmet covering one of his eyes and was wearing a brown jacket, orange pants, and dark boots with a sword strapped to his side.

Lucas' expression turned hostile upon recognizing said figure. He pulled out the friend's yo-yo that he obtained from Thunder Tower. "Hey you! You're the one who threw us off the airship!" He readied his weapon to attack the masked man.

"Lucas…" The masked man murmured to himself. He slowly removed his helmet revealing a head of orange hair.

"C-claus?" Lucas's eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn't think or move and his body felt numb. When he finally regained his movement, the first thing he did was embrace his brother tightly. "How… are you alive?" Tears were steaming out of his eyes. Claus placed his arms around Lucas in response.

"I'm sorry I left you and dad. There was nothing I could do by the time _they_ found me." Claus responded dully, looking away from his brother.

"Wait, Claus. What are you talking about?" Lucas asked confused.

Ionia interrupted the two. "Aren't you that boy who visited Aeolia's house three years ago? Alec was the one who told you about us. Claus, wasn't it?"

"Gah!" Claus' eyes widened upon seeing the Magypsy. _'Oh no! What do I do? Someone saw me!' _

Seeing his expression, the Magypsy reassured him. "Not to worry, little Claus! I won't say a thing!" Claus sighed in relief.

Later, the three had gotten into the house and they were discussing Claus' appearance.

"So Claus, where have you been for the past three years?" Ionia asked.

"Well…" He started, his expression turning dark. "You know, when I went to get revenge on the Drago for killing mom, Lucas?" He asked his twin, swallowing his tears. "I fell off the plateau, and some of my body parts were very broken. The pigmask army found my body and they turned me into a human chimera." He held out his arm to show them the cannon connected to his wrist. "They fused me with technology and easily used the technology I was fused with to turn me into a heartless soldier. But then I saw Lucas and Boney." Claus stretched out his arm to pet the dog. "I think it started to awaken my old self rather quickly. I remembered everything overnight." He paused for a second before continuing his explanation. "I had a dream telling me to come to Tazmily to find you, Lucas. I can't go back to the pigmask army now. But also, they can't know that I left."

"Why can't you go back and fool them into thinking that you're still in the army?" Lucas asked.

"I still have technology infused into myself. If I return they could still reprogram me." Claus explained.

"Oh, I see!" Ionia exclaimed. "So, what is your plan?" The Magypsy asked.

"Well you see…" Claus began He pulled out the bottle of blonde hair dye. "I can switch places with Lucas!" He said, his gloomy attitude switching to a more positive one. Even after being the masked man, the boy's personality did not change. He was determined to go through with his plan, whether his twin liked it or not. Claus couldn't help but remember that things went that way when they were younger. Thinking back made him feel a bit sad, but he would not let that nagging feeling quell his determination. "Lucas, even though you might have a higher risk of being discovered, can you please do this for me? I-I … never want to go back there again! There are too many bad memories there."

"Oh my! That's a splendid idea. I'd love to help you two out!" Ionia offered.

Lucas sat there quietly for a moment, contemplating the choice to make. No matter what he chose to do, the choice would have put both of them on the line of risk. Knowing this, he raised his head slowly and stated his fateful choice, "I'll do it."


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm so sorry! School's been so busy lately, that I haven't had time to edit this! Enjoy!:)**

* * *

Chapter 2: Teammates

"How the heck did I get myself into this mess!?" The now blonde boy exclaimed. Claus ran through the halls of the Chimera lab with his dog companion, Boney, at his side.

"Ruff! (Hey, it was your idea!)" The dog reminded him. The boy groaned, remembering that this _was _his idea. The dog continued, "Arf! (At least you're not chilling with the pigmasks)," The dog barked, trying to comfort his owner.

Though you're far from comfort when you're running from a giant red monster whose mouth is half of its body.

"Why are we even here?" Claus asked continuing to quickly place one foot in front of the other. Suddenly spotted the hot springs door on the left. The boy felt very relieved, as he thought the Ultimate Chimera would have killed them. He grabbed Boney by the collar and quickly dashed into the room, locking it behind them.

After panting several times, the dog gave a response to his owner's question. "Woof! (Something about opening the way to that Magypsy's house. That pigmask told us that the monkeys were the key. There happen to be monkeys here, so it might be important.)" Boney carefully waded into the hot spring.

Claus sighed, finding this wild monkey chase to be one of the stupidest things he had ever done. "Let's rest for awhile, Boney. It's not like we're going to find those monkeys while running from the Ultimate Chimera." In reality, Claus just wanted to stop and think. Was this really a good idea? Was Lucas okay? Claus should have known that his brother had gotten stronger over the past three years, but that did not stop him from worrying. Claus thought back to when the two had gone their separate ways. They may have been apart, but their destinies intertwined to be a part of the big picture. They both had a job to do. It was their duty to pull the Seven Needles.

* * *

Lucas stared at his twin, feeling as if looking at a mirror. Claus had switched clothes with him, so now Lucas wore Claus' uniform while Claus wore Lucas's striped shirt and jean shorts. The older twin had combed his helmet hair into a cowlick after dyeing it blonde. The two brothers truly looked like twins.

"Hey, Lucas! Are you okay? You look like a zombie," Claus said, waving his hand in front of his brother's face. Indeed the younger twin had been staring off into the distance, still feeling as if having his brother back was just a dream.

Lucas awoke from his trance and smiled at Claus. "I'm alright! I'm just so happy you're back!" Was his energetic reply.

The older boy smiled back before standing up. "C'mon, let's go. Put on your helmet," Claus said.

Lucas slowly pulled the helmet over his head. "I can't see!" He exclaimed, as one part of the helmet covered his left eye.

Claus sighed and said to his brother, "You'll get used to it." He led his brother outside, where Ionia and Boney were waiting.

"Oh my! I can't even tell the difference!" The Magypsy told them with a wink. Ionia, being agreed to help them out. Meaning, she wouldn't tell anyone they switched places. Except the other Magypsies, who had been messaged about the situation.*

Boney knew which owner was who, since he was dog. "Arf! (You're Claus!)" The dog barked excitedly jumping on the boy with blonde hair. "Woof! (And you're Lucas!)" This time the dog jumped on the owner wearing the helmet. Lucas bent down to stroke the dog to say goodbye, as Claus was going to be traveling with Boney now.

"Don't tell Kumatora about Claus, alright boy?" Lucas asked Boney. The dog wagged his tail in reply.

The two brothers embraced before Claus gave him directions to the airship. "The airship landed near Oshoe Castle. Do you know the way Lucas?"

The younger boy nodded, knowing it to be past the graveyard where he visited often. "Well, the town's small enough to know where _everything_ is," Lucas chuckled. He started to walk away from the group to get to his destination. "See you later, Claus!" he yelled to his brother, turning around and waving to the group. Then he ran until he was out of sight.

"Good luck!" The Magypsy replied. Ionia turned towards the direction of the river. "Let's go that way. We can follow the river to Aeolia's house. Maybe we'll find a boat!"

"Yeah, I guess," Claus said. He and Boney started to follow Ionia. He couldn't help but glance in the direction of Oshoe Castle before continuing behind the Magypsy.

~Transitions~are~Stupid~

Claus paced around the courtyard contemplating what to do. Ionia stayed quiet for a few minutes, letting them think. Suddenly, Claus could hear the pigmask anthem ringing from a small device that had been carelessly left on the ground. He picked it up and answered. "Hello?" Claus asked, speaking into the device.

"Commander, Sir! We're having trouble with the monkeys. They could very well be the key to King P's ultimate rule. Please come to the Chimera Lab right away! You know the way, right?" A pigmask on the other end asked.

Knowing that answering in his normal tone would be risky; he took a deep breath and brought viciousness into his voice. "Of course I do, you fool! I don't need any directions!"

"Eeekkk! Yes sir! " The pigmask squeaked and hung up. Claus pocketed the transceiver.

"Are you okay, little Claus?" Ionia asked. Claus nodded silently. "That pigmask might have been talking about the location of the second needle. I believe it's where Doria's house is."

"Another Magypsy?" Claus asked. Ionia nodded.

"Yes. Please understand that even though it won't matter whether you or Lucas gets to the needle first, it is a race to pull all the needles before 'King P' discovers you."

"The Seven Needles, huh." Claus sighed. "C'mon, Boney. We're wasting time."

* * *

Claus stepped out of the hot springs. "Let's go Boney, I'm ready."

"Arf! (Okay!)" The dog followed behind its owner stepping out of the bath. Boney shook to get the water off, like any normal dog would.

"Hey! Stop that! It's gross!"

Once the two stepped out into the hall, they carefully checked for the Ultimate Chimera before continuing down the stairs.

Suddenly, they heard rumbling coming from a trashcan. "Well that's strange." Claus approached the trashcan and an elderly man with a lab coat on popped out. "GAH!"

"Oh, I apologize for scaring you."

"Geez."

"I realize you haven't asked, but my name is Dr. Andonuts."

"Nice to meet you," Claus greeted with a nod.

"I'm being forced to conduct various sorts of research by a certain man. Currently though, I am trying to conceal myself for certain reasons. I'm a bit occupied at the moment. Could you come back at a better time?"

Concerned for the old man, Claus asked, "Are you okay?"

His reply was, "No problem here. No problem here. … Just leave it at that." The old man ducked his head back into the trashcan to conceal himself once more.

"Er… okay. That was weird," Claus said to Boney. They continued down to the last door of the hall, realizing they haven't been there yet.

Upon entering the room, Claus and Boney discovered two monkeys huddled in the corner of the room. Claus sighed in relief, as the wild goo- er… monkey chase was over. He just wanted to take off this stupid pigmask. "Finally!" He screamed enthusiastically.

The party of two, dog and boy, approached the monkey couple, who continued to back up into the corner. Suddenly their expressions turned scared, if you could tell. Claus, being psychic, and Boney, being a dog, could. Turning around, Claus angrily yelled, "What is it now!?" He was met with a giant mouthed, red chimera with glaring yellow eyes. "Oh crap."

"Arroo… (You can say that again)."

"ROOOOOOAAAAARR!" The giant chimera opened its mouth in a roar to instill fear into the two targets.

Claus and Boney started to back up against the wall. The two started to get sweat nervously. To Claus it would be stupid to die in the same day that he got his life back. "Crap. Not today. I'm not dying today!"

Suddenly, Dr. Andonuts came hopping into the room, as he was still inside the trashcan. "I just remembered this Chimera's weakness, so I mustered up the courage to come here."

Claus was relieved, knowing that there was a way to defeat the monster. He and Boney stopped backing up, now approaching the monster and trying to get behind it. Suddenly, the Chimera lunged for the two. They quickly dived past it to escape, their pigmasks flying off in the process. "Woof! (Run!)" Boney barked. The pair rushed out of the room behind Dr. Andonuts to get away as quickly as possible.

When the monkey saw Claus' face, his eyes brightened. He remembered a young boy whistling to summon a Drago. That Drago had scared away the pigmask army. That boy had saved him from Fassad. Or so he thought because Lucas was the one that saved him, not Claus.

"Eek! (What is it, Salsa?)" The girl monkey asked.

The monkey, Salsa, turned to the girl monkey and explained to her, "Ook! (That was the boy who saved me three years ago!) Ki! (He was one of the reasons I was able to save you, Samba!) Eek! (I have to go help him!)" The monkey ran off after the Ultimate Chimera, his girlfriend in suit.

The Chimera's three targets stopped in the middle of the hall and turned to face the monster. Claus chuckled nervously. "So what do we do now?"

Dr. Andonuts poked his head out of the trashcan. "There's a large button on his back! You need to press it!"

"Are you crazy!? How are we supposed to get behind it? This is a hallway! A _narrow _hallway!" Claus screamed in panic.

"Come now, be courageous! Use the dog as bait!"

"Woof!? (What!?)" Boney barked as he frantically looked back and forth between Dr. Andonuts and the Chimera.

"ROOOOOOAAAAARR!" The Chimera continued to walk towards them as they backed away from it. Suddenly, the Ultimate Chimera pounced for its prey. But just as the Chimera was about to chomp down, Salsa leaped onto its back where the off switch was. The Chimera powered down and plopped down on the floor, unmoving.

When he saw the immobile Chimera, Dr. Andonuts climbed out of his hiding place. "Oh…" He looked at Salsa and then at Claus. The rest of the group was staring at the Chimera's body. "Thank you, lad. And monkey." They turned around to look at him. "I think I'll use this opportunity to leave the military and devote my life to make all living things happy."

"Well, good for you!" Claus congratulated smiling and nodding.

He turned to Boney, who he _thought_ was listening intently. "Oh… You also agree with my idea? Thank you, dog!"

"Grrr! (Not after that bait idea of yours, old man!)" Boney growled.

"I-I'm sorry! I was merely joking about the bait thing!" He scrambled off, Boney in pursuit. "It's a simple misunderstanding! You have it all wrong!" Boney barked at him.

Claus turned to Salsa. "Hey, thanks for saving us, monkey."

"Ook! (It's no problem! My name is Salsa! That's Samba. I had to pay you back from when you saved me from Fassad three years ago! You're name's Lucas… right? Kumatora told me.)"

'_Man, Lucas. You've done some crazy things,' _The boy thought before answering the monkey. "Erm… yeah! That's my name." He thought quietly to himself about how he would need to get used to using Lucas' name.

"Ki! (C'mon, let's leave!)" Salsa said. Boney ran back and barked in agreement. The four left the Chimera Lab.

The girl monkey started to run off. "Eek! (Follow me!)" The trio stared after the girl monkey who had left.

"Ook. (The needle's that way.)" Salsa explained. "Eek? (You guys need me to open the door for you right?) Ki. (There was a door with symbols that way.) Eek. (That's a door that only I could open.) Ook. (That's why the army needed me to go that way.) Ki? (Do you know what they're looking for?)"

Claus, still looking off where the second needle was, answered. "Yeah… it's something important. So it's that way, right? C'mon, let's go." Taking head of the party Claus headed east of the Chimera Lab. They saw Samba sitting at a stone wall with symbols depicted on it north of a small body of water. After a few run-ins with some dogfish, the group and reached the girl monkey. Claus couldn't help but wonder how she got there without being attacked.

The group stood at the sides of the door, Salsa standing in front. Suddenly, the monkey began to… dance. The monkey waved his hands around and danced around in circles in a series of seemingly complicated dance patterns. Or at least to Claus they were. The boy would never be caught dead dancing like that. He shivered just thinking about it. "What the hell?"

He stopped when he saw the wall sinking down into the ground. Beyond that point he could see a pink shell house and two small ponds of water. Boney sniffed the air. "Arf! (Kumatora's in there!) Woof! (I can smell her!)"

Claus stared at the front of the house. For this he would have to be fully prepared. "I guess it's time now. I wonder what she's like."

"Ruff! (Don't worry about it!) Woof! (She may surprise you, but just try to act natural.)"

"Thanks, Boney."

Claus placed his hand on the door of the pink shell and pushed it open. Upon entering he saw a startling amount of purple and a Magypsy that appeared to be wearing a purple biker's outfit. Doria, he assumed. He also saw a wild head of pink hair. "Whoa! Awesome! You really did show up, Lucas!"

"Erm… hi, Kumatora," they boy started almost stumbling over the name. He had never met the girl before, so to him their conversations would probably be awkward in the beginning. Little did Kumatora know, the boy was actually Claus. Thinking this was just one of Lucas' shy antics, she brushed it aside.

She turned to the two monkeys. "Oh! You're here too, Salsa?! It's great to see you again I didn't know you were alive! Oh! And how've you been, Love Monkey?" She kneeled down next to the girl monkey. "Hello," She greeted politely. Samba scrambled behind Salsa in fear of the woman.

"Oh my! What adorable visitors! Introduce me to them, won't you?" Doria asked while flipping his hair.

"Yeah, sure," Kumatora said. "These are my friends. "This is Salsa the monkey and his 'Love Monkey'." She said looking at the two monkeys. "And this is Lucas the human." Claus nodded nervously while the Magypsy raised an eyebrow. "And the dog is…" unable to remember the dog's name, Kumatora rush doer to Claus who quickly whispered Boney's name to her. The dog whimpered quietly. "Boney the dog!"

Doria stood straight in front of the boy and looked directly into his eyes. "Oh, so you're sweet little… _Lucas_? Ionia's told me _all_ about you!"

Hearing the emphasis in the Magypsy's words made Claus' eyes widen. _'So he _does_ know. Well Ionia told them after all.' _

Claus responded confidently. "Yeah! That's me!" He smiled and this time Kumatora looked at him a bit funny, not used to 'Lucas' acting so outgoing.

Doria turned to Kumatora. "Could you step outside for a moment, please. There's something I need to talk about with Lucas. Why don't you guys talk for a little?"

"Erm, okay." Still looking at Claus and the Magypsy funny, she headed out the door with Salsa and Samba following behind.

"Have a seat," Doria said gesturing to some chairs. Once they sat down, Doria began to refer to Claus by his real name. "So, Claus. You're the boy who visited Aeolia's house three years ago, right? To avenge your mother? I swear, young people today are very reckless!" Claus stayed quiet at that. "But it's so exciting!"

"Well, my plan as of _right now_ is reckless." He admitted, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "I wasn't even sure if I should follow through with it. I had my doubts when we were being chased by the Ultimate Chimera, but I know that I can't turn back. I think that I may have put everyone else in more danger although this is probably the best way for me to get away from the pigmasks while still working in secret. I'll trust Lucas with this to the end."

"Are you sure he can handle it?"

"I'm sure. Even if he can't, I'll rely on the fact that he'll get stronger from this experience."

"Well, that's perfectly understandable!" Doria exclaimed. "My, what a caring young boy! I'd be careful if I were him." The Magypsy stood up. "Well, c'mon! That needle isn't going to pull itself!" Claus and Boney followed him out of the house.

Kumatora was standing next to Salsa and Samba. She went over to Claus to ask, "What was that about?"

"It's nothing, Kumatora." He responded quickly, not wanting to go further on the subject. The pink-haired girl just simply raised an eyebrow.

She turned to one of the small ponds. "Is that one of the needles?"

Claus peered into the pond, gaping when he saw it. The needle was golden with something that resembled wings on its top. It protruded from the ground, but the only problem was that… it was underwater. "How am I supposed to get to that?!"

"Well, you see, we need to transfer all of this water here into that empty pool," Doria explained pointing to an empty hole that could contain just as much water as the pond.

"Yeah, _now_ it makes sense," Claus replied sarcastically.

"Well you don't have to be so rude. There's probably something at that Chimera Lab you could use," the Magypsy huffed.

Claus nodded. "Okay. C'mon, Boney." The two started back towards the Chimera Lab, only running into a few battles during the short trip. When the two arrived, they saw Dr. Andonuts standing outside of the lab. The boy was relieved that he didn't have to go back inside of that crazy place.

"Oh, you're that young lad." The man stated calmly.

"Hey, old man! You're a scientist, right?"

Dr. Andonuts was a bit appalled at the boy's greeting, which to him was quite rude. This boy reminded him of one of his son's friends from long ago. _'What was his name? It started with an N… though I can't seem to remember it. Oh well.'_ Dismissing this thought, he answered, "Well, excuse me… And yes I am." His expression still remained calm. "Why do you ask?"

"Do you have anything that can transfer water from one place to another?"

The scientist frowned confusedly. "Ah, yes. Well, I happen to have this one Chimera. But why would you need something like that?"

"It's complicated."

Dr. Andonuts sighed. "Alright. I'll go get it." The man returned awhile later with a large chimera. The chimera had a long tube-like nose and a similar tail. It was covered from head to toe in red and yellow stripes and it had something that resembled a doorknob on top of its head. "Here it is. I still don't see why you would need this, but I suppose I _do_ I owe you."

Claus smiled widely. "Thanks, old man!" Claus led the Chimera back to the Magypsy's house with Boney. Once he was there, he eased the Chimera in between the one body of water and the empty hole.

"This will solve our pond water dilemma! I just know it!" Doria exclaimed. The chimera lowered its snout into the pond and began to suck up the water like a straw. Little bulbs appeared in its snout where the water was. "Ooooh! The pond is slowly emptying! More! Do more!" Indeed the pond water was traveling through the chimera out of its tail, pouring into the other hole. "Just look at him go! It's enough to give me the chills!" When the chimera was finished, you could see the needle and its glowing light clearly. There was a ladder made out of stones to climb to the needle's location. Proudly, the chimera sauntered back to the Chimera Lab.

"So I guess I should pull it now." The Magypsy nodded, ready to fade away. Kumatora stayed silent. She knew the Magypsies for a long time, so the loss would be hard on her. Claus descended the ladder. The Magypsy followed. Boney and Kumatora simply stood at the edge of the pit looking down at Claus. The boy stood quietly in front of the needle, his feet equally apart on either side. Placing his hands on it he noted that the metal was cold. He closed his eyes and thrust his hands upward. The needle disappeared and turned into a thin pillar of light that looked as if it reached the heavens. When it disappeared, an earthquake shook the entire island and purple smoke poured out of the ground where it once stood. Claus felt power growing inside his heart and he realized the powers of his PK Love had grown stronger.

When all the commotion had stopped, Doria began to flicker. He was fading away as all Magypsies do when their needle is pulled. "This really is… the beginning of the end. 'The time' has finally come… Eeee!" The Magypsy squealed in excitement. He flipped his hair. Looking even happier, he continued, "I never once imagined someone would show up at this tender girl's home to pull the needle. Disappearing while still young and beautiful… In one sense… it is bliss."

At that, Claus raised an eyebrow. _'I'm as sure is my hair is orange that those Magypsies aren't girls. Wait a minute…' _He stopped his thoughts, remembering that he had dyed his hair. Mentally slapping himself, he continued to listen to the Magypsy's final words.

"Kumatora, go with little… _Lucas_ here and see things through to the end."

The pink-haired girl nodded, trying to smile. "Already part of my plan," She responded.

"I'm about to disappear youthfully and beautifully… Think about me sometimes, okay? Here, take this memento of me." Doria handed Claus a razor and lipstick. "I'll leave the rest in your hands now." Doria faded away into a ball of light that disappeared in a flash. "Bye, now! La, la, la!"

Later when the group was ready to depart, Kumatora was silent. Finally she spoke. "Ionia told me this a long tie ago. When the Dark Dragon that's sleepin' under the island wakes up, all life and time'll be reborn…" She paused before walking up to Claus. "I don't know what's gonna happen, but I'm gonna see things through to the end. Lucas, can I come along with you? I wanna go with you… We hafta hurry and find Duster and the Egg of Light, too!"

The boy grinned, but of course this was Claus' response. "Did you think I was gonna say no?"

"Heh," Kumatora said, grinning back.

"C'mon, let's go. Bye monkey!" The boy walked ahead with Boney, leaving Kumatora to say her goodbyes.

"Salsa, we just met again after all this time, but it looks like this is goodbye again." Salsa looked down sadly at the girl's words. "What's with that look? You're such a sentimental monkey." She started to follow Claus and Boney away from the Magypsy's house. "You and your love monkey take care, now." Salsa rushed after her and pulled on the edge of her dress. "Huh? What is it?" The monkey handed her a small object. "A nut… For me?" She took it in her hand and quickly swallowed it, knowing it would not do much for healing later anyways. "Thanks!" She smiled. "See you later, if we ever get the chance!" After hearing that, Salsa popped back up in excitement. Kumatora then ran off to her party members, leaving Salsa and Samba behind. Goodbyes are inevitable, especially between friends. But who said goodbyes were forever?

* * *

**Again, I apologize for not updating. I just haven't been in the mood to edit and revise. I've had so many important projects at school, that things just got a little hectic. I'd like to ask you to check out my Deviantart page, which is linked in my profile. As always, constructive criticism is very much appreciated, and I hope you're having a fantastic day.**


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